all snug and cosy...

and warm inside. That's how I felt after my birthday weekend. Daniel went out early on Saturday morning to photograph the sunrise and came home with a bunch of flowers and a paper bag full of freshly baked croissants. The croissants were, without doubt, the best I've ever had. We topped them with lashings of raspberry and blueberry jam and we enjoyed them with a few cups of tea. I opened my presents from my boys, a collection of books I'd been coveting for ages, and then headed out to teach my pregnant students.

In the afternoon two friends from Sydney celebrated with hot chocolate and brownies at one of my favourite local cafe's (Daniel made a film there a few months ago) and I treated myself to some ink & spindle goodness in the gorgeous new gallery, the pear house.

That evening, dinner at mum and dad's and on Sunday, I taught an all-day birth workshop to seven pregnant couples. Most of the "Pregnant and Prepared" workshops that I teach attract first-time parents. But on Sunday, six of the the seven couples were already parents and many were preparing for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). It was incredibly inspiring to see the determination in these pregnant women and the unwavering support from their partners.

Friends of mine and past students came to share the birth story of their beautiful baby girl, Nylah Pixie. It was the first time I had met Nylah and while holding her she found my gaze and chatted with me in her coos and aahhs for a good five minutes. Her muma had attended my classes throughout her entire pregnancy and it became so obvious to us that Nylah recognised my voice from when she was in the belly. The connection was precious and the moment absolutely melted my heart. Nylah's birth was swift and powerful - her muma's waters breaking soon after her blessingway. Nylah swam into the world a mere three hours later.

Sunday concluded with a big bowl of vegetables and noodles cooked in homemade chicken stock. And it was cool enough to wear my new toast slippers. The perfect end.